Campaigners have warned climate and environment ministers from the group of developed countries against backsliding on pledges on the shift away from coal and gas at home and abroad.
But a leaked third draft of a statement to be issued at the meeting in Sapporo has relieved some experts, who had feared a more ringing endorsement of the need for overseas gas investments as proposed by Japan.
"All in, given low expectations, it now seems a better outcome than many expected," said Ed King from the climate-oriented communications firm GSCC.
The ministers want to show unity after a major UN climate report warned last month that 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming would be seen in about a decade. It called for "rapid and far-reaching" action to keep increases within relatively safe limits.
However, as as the energy crisis sparked by the Ukraine war squeezes G7 countries, including this year's president Japan, divisions have arisen among the group.
A French government source said their minister was trying to "avoid or put a stop to any form of reversal on fossil fuel" commitments, while describing "difficult" discussions among the bloc.
The draft statement calls on nations to take action "in this critical decade", urging a peak in global greenhouse emissions by 2025 at the latest.
Experts say this language is aimed at China, the world's largest carbon emitter, which is targeting a peak in its carbon emissions by 2030.
The draft also stresses the "urgency" of slashing global emissions by 60 percent by 2035 from 2019 levels, as recommended by the UN's IPCC panel of climate experts.
- Coal and gas promises -
Other phrasing has been more contentious, with the final statement sure to be closely scrutinised for signs of the direction of talks at the G20 in New Delhi and the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai later this year.
Ministers pledged at the last G7 climate ministerial in Germany in May 2022 to largely end fossil fuel use in their electricity sectors by 2035.
They also agreed to stop new direct public support the same year for overseas fossil fuel projects that take no steps to offset carbon dioxide emissions.
But this was watered down a month later when G7 leaders said the "exceptional circumstances" of Russia's war in Ukraine made gas investments "appropriate as a temporary response".
Japan has sought language that would solidify that exception, and trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has said a one-size-fits-all approach is inappropriate.
"It's necessary to work towards the common goal of net zero by taking various approaches according to the circumstances of each country," he said at the event's opening speech on Saturday.
The latest draft of the G7 climate statement, seen by AFP, recognises "the primary need to accelerate the clean energy transition through energy savings and gas demand reduction".
And on coal -- another hotly debated topic -- the United States has proposed wording that acknowledges the need to "call on international partners to end new unabated coal power generation projects globally".
Canada's environment and climate change minister Steven Guilbeault told AFP that "in terms of phasing out fossil fuel from the electricity sector... we would be, as Canada, very comfortable with having strong language on that".
The draft also includes recognition of nuclear power's potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and supports the International Atomic Energy Agency's review of Japan's plan to start releasing treated water from its devastated Fukushima plant into the sea.
Japan had sought G7 recognition for its controversial strategy of burning hydrogen and ammonia alongside fossil fuels to reduce carbon emissions -- which climate activists say only serves to extend the lifespan of polluting plants.
But the draft statement simply notes that "some countries are exploring" the potential of the two fuels in the journey to net-zero emissions.
And it says this should be "aligned with a 1.5C pathway and our collective goal for a fully or predominantly decarbonised power sector by 2035".
Targets for a heating planet: G7 climate commitments
Tokyo (AFP) April 14, 2023 - As the Group of Seven environment ministers meet this weekend in Sapporo, here are their countries' main climate targets:
- Japan -
G7 president Japan is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050 -- a goal shared by all other members except Germany, which has a more ambitious 2045 deadline.
Heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels, by 2030 Japan wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent from 2013 levels.
To help achieve this, the government wants to restart more of the nuclear reactors that were taken offline after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown. Around a third are already back in action, although not all are operational year-round.
Campaigners criticise Japan's continued overseas fossil fuel investments, with Oil Change International saying the country spent an annual average of $6.9 billion on new gas, coal and oil projects in 2020-22.
- United States -
The United States, the world's second-largest carbon emitter after China, was a driving force behind the 2015 Paris Agreement to keep global temperature increases "well below" two degrees Celsius.
After Donald Trump's withdrawal from the pact, the country rejoined under President Joe Biden, who has set a 2030 goal to slash emissions by 50 to 52 percent compared to 2005.
He is also ploughing $370 billion into subsidies and tax cuts for US companies that invest in green tech.
Last month, however, the Biden administration brushed aside pressure from environmentalists and approved a controversial oil-drilling project in Alaska.
- Germany -
The European Union's largest economy has more ambitious targets than the bloc itself, pledging to cut emissions by 65 percent by 2030 from 1990 levels, compared to the EU goal of at least 55 percent.
It's part of an unprecedented energy overhaul in Germany, which has nearly doubled the share of power it produces from renewables over the past decade, while also phasing out nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster.
The nation, which has faced an energy squeeze since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is aiming "ideally" to close all domestic coal-fired power plants by 2030.
Germany, a leading car producer, had blocked an EU plan to ban new sales of fossil fuel vehicles by 2035, but a deal was reached last month that includes an exception for synthetic fuel.
- United Kingdom -
Former EU member United Kingdom has the most far-reaching short-term emissions target of any major economy, pledging 78 percent cuts from 1990 levels by 2035.
It plans to ban petrol and diesel cars from 2030, is scaling up renewable energy and nuclear power, and will invest 20 billion pounds ($25 billion) into carbon capture technology over the next two decades.
- France -
France aims to reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990, and is expected to set new targets soon to meet the EU's ambitious goals.
It is running late on its renewable energy plans, and leans largely on nuclear for its decarbonisation efforts.
- Italy -
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has criticised the EU's climate strategy, arguing its fast transition risks jobs.
Italy's 2030 emissions-cut target is 33 percent from 2005 levels, but this will also need to increase in line with EU requirements.
- Canada -
Although less ambitious than the United States, Canada is targeting a 40-45 percent emissions cut by 2030 from 2005 levels.
But it beats its neighbour on goals for the auto industry, planning to prohibit new sales of fossil fuel cars by 2035, ahead of Biden's pledge for half of new vehicle sales in 2030 to be zero-emissions.
COP28 head urges 'accessible' global climate finance
Sapporo, Japan (AFP) April 15, 2023 -
Sultan Al Jaber, president of the COP28 climate talks, called on Saturday for "available, accessible and affordable" finance for the developing economies most vulnerable to the destructive impacts of a warming planet.
Al Jaber, who is also head of the United Arab Emirates' national oil company, said he had urged G7 climate and environment ministers meeting in Japan this weekend to prioritise support for poorer countries.
"The time has come for us to provide a fair deal for the Global South, especially when it comes to climate finance," he told AFP on the sidelines of the G7 talks in Sapporo.
"I'm fine with raising ambitions, even going for more ambitious plans and programmes" to fight global warming, he said.
However, to boost trust worldwide "this needs to be equipped and coupled and supported with real, pragmatic, actionable plans enabled by finance that is available, accessible and affordable".
The choice of Al Jaber, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), to head December's COP28 UN climate change conference in Dubai has angered activists who fear it will hold back progress on reducing emissions.
Al Jaber, 49, is also the UAE's minister for industry and advanced technology and founded the government-owned renewable energy company Masdar.
COP27, held in Egypt in November, brought a landmark agreement to create a "loss and damage" fund to cover the costs of the destruction that developing countries face from climate-linked natural disasters.
Floods that covered large swaths of Pakistan last year and drought in East Africa both bear the fingerprint of climate change.
Multi-billion-dollar investment plans have also been announced in recent months for countries such as South Africa and Indonesia to transition to clean energy from fossil fuels.
Al Jaber said climate finance for developing countries needs to be "very high on the agenda".
But he highlighted the need "to strike a balance between passion and realism, in order for us to deliver a true, pragmatic, progressive, practical deal at COP28".
In a closed-door address to the G7 climate ministers on Saturday, Al Jaber also called for developed countries to follow through on an unfulfilled promise to provide developing nations with $100 billion a year to fight climate change.
He also urged the world to triple the amount of money available for clean tech investment, adaptation finance and energy transition in developing countries by 2030, according to a transcript of his speech obtained by AFP.
The latest leaked draft of a G7 climate statement to be issued on Sunday reaffirms the bloc's commitment to the $100-billion pledge, which dates back to COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009.
In the draft, the G7 vows to work with other developed nations "to fully meet the goal in 2023".
Related Links
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
